in-between
by justjoy
Summary: "Ah, home sweet home," Ran declares cheerfully, throwing open the door of the detective agency. "I'm so glad everything is over!" "Hear, hear," mutters Conan – Shinichi? Shinichi-Conan? honestly, it's getting difficult figuring out how to think of himself, especially now with the Org gone – as he trails in after her, deeply heartfelt.


"Ah, home sweet home," Ran declares cheerfully, throwing open the door of the detective agency. "I'm so glad everything is over!"

"Hear, hear," mutters Conan – Shinichi? Shinichi-Conan? honestly, it's getting difficult figuring out how to think of himself, especially now with the Org gone – as he trails in after her, deeply heartfelt.

(C– fine, Shinichi, _Shinichi_ – spends a full three seconds with the unbidden mental image of a secret identity support group featuring Akai and Amuro, and can't entirely repress something halfway in between a shudder and the world's ghastliest laugh.

At least Hidemi would probably be willing to moderate it, though he wouldn't put it past Haibara to turn up just for the shits and giggles.)

Ran glances back at him curiously. "You're not coming down with a cold, are you, Shinichi?"

"No," he answers, entirely honest.

Ran nods, satisfied, then winces at seeing the light layer of dust that's gathered on the shelves after a month's absence. "Guess I'm gonna have to clean up – " she yawns widely. "Tomorrow," she adds, a touch sheepishly.

"I'll help, and I'm sure Ayumi-chan and the others will come over too if you ask them," Shinichi offers, because the Detective Boys really would – he'd seen how intently they'd listened as Ran explained that she had to go away for a bit while the police took down some bad guys, and caught Mitsuhiko mouthing 'a safehouse?' at Ayumi while Ran had been talking to Genta, and – well.

He's certainly learned _not_ to underestimate children, Shinichi thinks, then blinks as he catches Ran looking at him, an odd little half-smile flickering about her face. "What," he blurts out without quite realising – in his defence, none of them had gotten much in the way of sleep during this entire takedown.

Ran does giggle lightly at that one, then shakes her head. "Nothing, it's just… you wouldn't always have been so willing to ask others for help, before. I like it," she adds firmly, before he can even protest or argue either point. "Don't you forget that."

Shinichi grumbles very pointedly under his breath as he goes about opening the windows – he's never _quite_ realised how stuffy a house could get from being shut up for even a couple of weeks. Honestly, if Ran hadn't cleaned up the Kudo mansion so regularly, it'd probably have turned completely uninhabitable by the time Okiya turned up.

Ran's gone to the pantry, by the sounds of her puttering about behind him, probably to check on their supplies and figure out what she needs to buy, he supposes.

But then he turns around to find her returning, a tray with two steaming mugs balanced in her hands.

Shinichi – he doesn't even know. What.

"I made hot cocoa? But it's just the instant stuff," she adds almost apologetically, "since there's no milk, I gave the last carton to Azusa-san before we left along with the other perishables, so…"

He kicks his brain forcibly back into gear, notices the way Ran's drifting uncertainly towards the door, and – right. Of course. It's not something he notices until he does, but with Kogoro-ojisan away helping Kisaki-san move back in tonight, the agency feels weirdly empty without all the ridiculous posturing.

Shinichi hurries across the room to open the door for her. "We'll just have to go grocery shopping tomorrow, then," he says, with Conan's brightness.

And maybe Ran recognises that, maybe she doesn't, but she smiles conspiratorially and stage-whispers as she passes by him. "I did add some extra creamer, though – don't tell Otou-san!"

Shinichi feels his lips curve up into an answering grin, and doesn't even mind. It almost feels like they're kids again – apart from the obvious way in which that quite obviously _feels_ true, thanks for the short jokes, brain – sneaking around both sets of parents to play cops-and-robbers (Ran's favourite) or Holmes-and-Watson (ha ha, yes, fine).

"Of course," he whispers back, just as exaggeratedly, before he has to scamper past her and up the stairs to unlock the apartment door.

(And if Ran laughs a little at that, too – well. Shinichi definitely doesn't mind _that_ , either.)


End file.
